tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.comments2016-01-18T06:09:34.016-08:00More Injera Please!Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02806605162148217641noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-37060183876190709072016-01-18T06:09:34.016-08:002016-01-18T06:09:34.016-08:00Becky, thank you for this post. For your honesty a...Becky, thank you for this post. For your honesty and beauty. I love you.Karinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-30179027356627612252015-11-01T06:30:33.009-08:002015-11-01T06:30:33.009-08:00Thank you! I sure your beautiful daughter is amazi...Thank you! I sure your beautiful daughter is amazing!Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806605162148217641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-53968533039815294662015-10-31T22:25:04.180-07:002015-10-31T22:25:04.180-07:00I loved reading this. It describes my 3.5 year old...I loved reading this. It describes my 3.5 year old daughter. Thanks for sharing. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-55367717247282487032015-10-20T15:45:30.090-07:002015-10-20T15:45:30.090-07:00I love it.. And I love your tone. I can hear you s...I love it.. And I love your tone. I can hear you say this lolLiliet Changhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609776315914992200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-56448806131800908112015-07-16T05:50:31.194-07:002015-07-16T05:50:31.194-07:00Thank you so much Jennifer. That is beautiful.Thank you so much Jennifer. That is beautiful.Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806605162148217641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-60666123078776595152015-06-29T19:44:52.946-07:002015-06-29T19:44:52.946-07:00Read this poem today and thought of you (though we...Read this poem today and thought of you (though we&#39;ve never met).<br /><br />Sunday&#39;s Poem <br />(A little late)<br />ALTERNATE NAMES FOR BLACK BOYS<br />By Danez Smith<br />1. smoke above the burning bush<br />2. archnemesis of summer night<br />3. first son of soil<br />4. coal awaiting spark &amp; wind<br />5. guilty until proven dead<br />6. oil heavy starlight<br />7. monster until proven ghost<br />8. gone<br />9. phoenix who forgets to un-ash<br />10. going, going, gone<br />11. gods of shovels &amp; black veils<br />12. what once passed for kindling<br />13. fireworks at dawn<br />14. brilliant, shadow hued coral<br />15. (I thought to leave this blank<br />but who am I to name us nothing?)<br />16. prayer who learned to bite &amp; sprint<br />17. a mother’s joy &amp; clutched breath<br />Read more about this poem and poet on the Poetry Foundation website: http://bit.ly/1lKpvCn<br />Jennifer LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-32299909226509080752014-07-15T14:34:19.062-07:002014-07-15T14:34:19.062-07:00sounds wonderful! i love the pics!sounds wonderful! i love the pics!saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-74458427566666598302014-07-08T18:56:29.132-07:002014-07-08T18:56:29.132-07:00Scrambled eggs or pancakes. A mama likes to sleep....Scrambled eggs or pancakes. A mama likes to sleep. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-87093383855356095542014-05-12T18:05:50.773-07:002014-05-12T18:05:50.773-07:00Really enjoying reading about your trip. Thank you...Really enjoying reading about your trip. Thank you for sharing.Stephanie Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06012594498293753158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-45770144594457582072014-04-24T00:12:58.775-07:002014-04-24T00:12:58.775-07:00just yes! i am from another country and we have th...just yes! i am from another country and we have the same issue with so much testing that i reckon learning has taken second place, ugh! and as for homework, we just dont do it if it causes angst &amp; anxieties &amp; more trauma, we are parents not teachers, our family &amp; relationship comes first, and our kids will learn at their own pace. having said that we read and talk and argue and make fun experiments and cook and . . our kids are ok, in fact they are better than ok :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-27164625205144423962014-04-06T10:11:46.183-07:002014-04-06T10:11:46.183-07:00As a former teacher, I support your testing opt-ou...As a former teacher, I support your testing opt-out. I also suggest you look at the role of language in math. Under the common core, you need to understand a lot more academic language to do it. Sometimes I don&#39;t understand how to do it. Perhaps looking at a private school that does not do Common Core would help. Also consider teaching him Singapore Math that relies more on visual. Good luck! I wish the best for you and your son. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-7603240498107214682013-12-24T11:55:03.036-08:002013-12-24T11:55:03.036-08:00What a beautiful little womanWhat a beautiful little womanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-91002531223241752232013-12-05T19:30:58.224-08:002013-12-05T19:30:58.224-08:00Amen. Xo, CarrieAmen. Xo, CarrieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-50161082998596181712013-10-08T05:35:05.029-07:002013-10-08T05:35:05.029-07:00Dear Becky and Andrew,
I am in awe of the journey ...Dear Becky and Andrew,<br />I am in awe of the journey you are traveling with your children and your Ethiopian family. I count myself blessed to be part of the same community as you at FUUB.<br />Diana LuDiana Lunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-86769625401069848452013-08-26T17:15:20.740-07:002013-08-26T17:15:20.740-07:00I can&#39;t tell you how many times we swore when ...I can&#39;t tell you how many times we swore when we were unpacking WE ARE NEVER. MOVING. AGAIN. Missy at Its Almost Naptimehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11264845015930907294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-39030413202530501262013-08-22T08:23:13.816-07:002013-08-22T08:23:13.816-07:00I try to carry $1.00 or $2 in an easy place to rea...I try to carry $1.00 or $2 in an easy place to reach because I don&#39;t take my wallet out in the street or subway. It&#39;s really an easy thing to do and though I don&#39;t do it all the time, I do it often enough to not feel guilty when I don&#39;t. I think the idea for me is to not make a big deal about it, but give whoever is asking when I can. I don&#39;t really care if the money goes to drugs or booze or gambling, a cigarette or a nice hot cup of coffee. None of my business. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-76633090780650780782013-08-22T06:19:22.923-07:002013-08-22T06:19:22.923-07:00What a cool house! Is it in Bed/Stuy? Is it a pas...What a cool house! Is it in Bed/Stuy? Is it a passover kitchen in the basement? Old houses can be fun (ours is 100+ yrs old in upstate NY). Do a little at a time. Try to unpack as much as possible before school starts.<br />Jennifer LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-57895752752286951522013-08-22T06:03:53.534-07:002013-08-22T06:03:53.534-07:00Also a NYer (way uptown in Washington Heights). I...Also a NYer (way uptown in Washington Heights). I usually ignore people who are begging in NY, but sometimes try to carry granola bars/fruit, etc. to give if someone is asking for food. I have had people asking for money on the train who seem so desperate and say that they are so hungry, but when you offer to get off the train and buy them a meal or to give them fruit or granola bar, they refuse. Sometimes, people are grateful for whatever you have...it can be so hard and doubly hard to explain to your child (mine is 4 so he hasn&#39;t asked yet, but I know it is coming). Truthfully, the need in NYC seems much smaller and much more alcohol/drugs/mental instability-based than the need in Addis which was staggering to me.<br /><br />We lived in Addis for 3 months between court and embassy in 2011. In Addis, we discovered that logistically the best way to give money to people who you want to help is to:<br />1. Put some birr in a bag with food, e.g. your wrapped up food from a restaurant<br />2. Fold the birr into a tiny triangle and palm it to someone or toss it to them as you walk by<br /><br />Thee two methods resulted in us being able to give money to people who we wanted to &quot;support&quot; but not getting mobbed on the street. Also, your NY street smarts and some basic amharic will help you be able to get people to back-off if necessary.Mamahttp://mamaababaandwoosha.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-8832427307423211372013-08-21T17:34:00.637-07:002013-08-21T17:34:00.637-07:00You will make it beautiful! Congrats man. Remembe...You will make it beautiful! Congrats man. Remember that you don&#39;t have to do it all at once. In fact, you don&#39;t HAVE to do anything, just take it slooooooow. I have mixed feelings about the chandelier - I&#39;d have to see it in person. It could be cool to move it to an entirely unexpected place - like lilly&#39;s room or the bathroom or the top of the staircase...tanrarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06457684265146271677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-33804965451193020202013-08-21T16:24:21.998-07:002013-08-21T16:24:21.998-07:00keep the chandelier, mama! it goes with the 1940s ...keep the chandelier, mama! it goes with the 1940s era look. you never know what banquets you may have under the chandelier! take lots of deep breaths, but wear a dust mask ;)saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-1823305642733185642013-08-21T13:59:44.988-07:002013-08-21T13:59:44.988-07:00I had a similar experience yesterday on the N trai...I had a similar experience yesterday on the N train. A man walking with a hobbled gait came on and gave a very heart-wrenching speech (which, to me, came off more as manipulative and meant to guilt people into giving money). He was begging for change on the trains, which is technically illegal. I give money to well-known organizations, but I still felt weird/slightly uncomfortable not giving him anything. I saw a dad give his son a dollar. I thought the kid probably wondered why so many adults didn&#39;t look up from their books/phones, but I&#39;ve heard a similar speech from so many people, and seen so many fakers, that I don&#39;t trust the average person begging on the street. That&#39;s a tough thing to explain to an innocent, trusting child! LKPheartsfoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06639940764657434824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-88971339291313951392013-08-13T11:33:15.818-07:002013-08-13T11:33:15.818-07:00I feel you. We&#39;ve gone up and down with tv. Wh...I feel you. We&#39;ve gone up and down with tv. When P was little and I was at home with her full-time, we never watched tv. Ever. I was a full time mama with just one little underfoot. Life was easy (though I didn&#39;t realize it then ;))<br /><br />Now I&#39;ve got two, am trying to start/run a business AND be a full-time mama, and, um, they watch a lot of tv. Even on beautiful days. Like today.<br /><br />P starts preschool three mornings a week soon and I think that&#39;ll be a game changer. We&#39;ll have some structure to work around and I think it will help keep us busy.<br /><br />Enjoy your screen-less life. No Screen days are usually my favorites (even if exhausting :)).Johttp://www.outtajo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-24149498290732867512013-08-03T15:28:56.440-07:002013-08-03T15:28:56.440-07:00Great post Becky.Great post Becky.Brian Aoaehnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-70164829856448917252013-07-18T06:21:57.340-07:002013-07-18T06:21:57.340-07:00Becky, I just found your blog. Words cannot expres...Becky, I just found your blog. Words cannot express how much I love this post. I&#39;m doing a 31 day series on Older Child Adoption. I&#39;m going to talk about race this Saturday and will be linking to this post. I think every adoptive parent should read this. Thank you!Dana@DeathbyGreatWallhttp://www.deathbygreatwall.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6992986110747465496.post-33976879581895295032013-07-17T07:55:23.538-07:002013-07-17T07:55:23.538-07:00I&#39;ve been thinking about you and Daniel these ...I&#39;ve been thinking about you and Daniel these last few days. How to explain to and prepare him (and Lily) for the world they live in. &quot; My heart walks around in black skin.&quot; I love your writing and the deep thoughtfulness you have. Thank you for sharing.Junenoreply@blogger.com